LCD Soundsystem, This is Happening! (Hit and miss–“Dance Yrself Clean” is a good metaphor for the album. Your first listen is like, “What the hell is going on here, Mr. Murphy?” Then you hit the halfway mark and you’re like, “Oh, I see what you did there. I love all of this now.” Plus, “All I Want” sounds like Bowie’s “Heroes,” so that’s always good.)

Matisyahu, Light (Got my hopes way up for this one, relatively okay)

Passion Pit, Manners

Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main St. (Deluxe Edition)

Van Halen, Diver Down and 1984

Warren Zevon, Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon

The xx, xx

Random Excellence:

Ghostface Killah, “Shakey Dog”

Saves the Day, “The Last Lie I Told”

Kelly Clarkson, “Impossible”

Ladyhawke, “Magic”

The Raconteurs, “Top Yourself”

Songs of the Week:

These are songs that I would actually stop listening to other music for. I’d be, say, three songs deep in Method Man’s Tical and think, “Nope, not feeling it. Time to dance myself clean again.”